#7 Justin McLeod Bethune

Work: Engagement and Monetization at DropboxEducation: Saint Mary’s College of California, American University of ParisHometown: Oakland, CAInfluence: 161 friends on Hinge

Worst pre-Hinge date?I was on a date with a girl who could not stop talking. I literally didn’t say a word for the first 30 minutes and when I did it was a very brief, “Oh that sounds cool.”

On top of that, she mostly talked about cats, although that is certainly not what I thought “sounded cool.”

So coincidentally, you share the first half of your name with Hinge’s founder, Justin McLeod. Are you guys distantly related? Can we get some family history?That would be an awesome coincidence. If we’re talking geaneology, I’ll admit to having famous heritage on my father’s side. I’m the great-grandson of Mary McLeod Bethune, who was an American educator and civil rights leader known for starting a private university in Florida. McLeod was her maiden name, and all the related McLeod’s are originally from South Carolina. It’s a truly diverse group, so you never know — we could be distant cousins!